Pours a hazy light orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, and citrus zest aromas. Taste is much the same with citrus zest and slight herbal hop flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty, refreshing, and easy to drink. (533 characters)

a well made ipa, everything sierra nevada does is, but its lacking compared to some of the other major players in this new session ipa game. of course, founders all day remains the standard, and if thats what these are judged against, this beer takes a mid B. its clean and light, golden brass in color, with an inch of fading white fluff. a nose of pale malt and mildly citrusy hops, everything simple, everything fresh, but no distinguishing element for me. great carbonation but a body a little larger than i need in this style, three or four of them would be fine, but six or eight would fill me up. some pleasant bitterness on the finish, but its all a bit drawn out, not crispy and snappy like others. lacks some of the refreshment factor for that reason. i do like the hop flavors though, a little understated and could possibly ramped up a little to make this one a little more memorable, but i like it well enough, especially on a hot lazy afternoon. (959 characters)

So, what'cha goin'a do? Its barely after breakfast and lunch is looming. Your buddy calls you out for a samich over some talk. Your taste buds cry for an IPA but those are over seven-plus percent. You still got stuff to do today- what's a guy to do?! Never fear- Nooner (Session IPA) is here!

Its lightly haze, golden appearance is like a back-lit honeycomb as the beer simply gleams in its glass. Its creamy structured head flows with a gentle swirl, releasing a highly intricate system of collars and trails along the glass. It's simply a beauty!

And its that classic Sierra Nevada combination of dry maltiness- eerily of graham crackers- along with those spicy and citrusy hops that provide a waft of white grapefruit, dried Curacao-type orange peel, grass and pine heading into taste.

Its flavor opens right up as the caramel, barley and malt taste provides a creamy nuttiness of cashew and spicy husk- allowing a rye taste to venture in. Its delicious but simple grain taste stems into the middle palate where the hops lurk- grapefruit, orange peel, goosenbery, lime and verbena all reassure a fruity tone. Its trailing spice, pine, verbena and chivy taste is bitter, crisp, and ultra-clean.

All this taste and aroma has transpired without talking about that's lacking in the beer- and that would be its body. Where the flavor and aroma of IPA are all intact, its body is removed. As the carbonation separates from the malt sweetness, both dissolve with a clean and crisp fade that leaves dry malt structure behind in order to capture the hop resins, dryness and alcohol warmth, even as its fruit-stem bitterness trails in aftertaste.

Nooner is simply all the taste that you'd want in IPA in the middle of the day, but its light body and alcohol content makes the ale comfortable for a second half-day of chores. Though concessions are made, the palate will never know! (1,879 characters)

T: The taste starts out with a decent burst of grassy hops bitterness. Then some sweet flavors of citrus and caramel come in. The malt character is on the thin side even for a “session IPA” but brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

O: A little tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, decent representation of style, there are several other beers in the style and even within the niche-style that I would choose first. (841 characters)

yay IPA season, and a 12-pack of awesome IPA sampler pack for about $13, how can you beat that?! Bottled on 1/22/14, couple months old but still pretty fresh.

Pours nice fizzy fluffy like almost creamy almost 1 finger head that fades semi slowly with tons of soapy lacing that almost makes it looks as if the head is still at it's tallest point, quite clear lighter golden honey colored.

Nose whoa, a really interesting citrusy tropical hop note I wasn't expecting, a punch of like grapefruit and this really pungent stinky hop like a grapefruit-mint and marijuana aroma, little sticky resin, as well as a little earthy pine, again like a marijuana nugget, and mild fruity note. there is a little toasty malt underneath with hint of biscuit, not much else.

Taste... sorry, hockey right interruption, Bruins and Avs. Ok, back to the beer, fresh hops and very sessionable, light but big hop punch. Brings some mild sweet malts, little toasty, little straw almost pilsner malt. Hops are dominant though, starting light but quickly increasing, again starting fruity, generic fruit, into a little grapefruit rind and clementine like mild citrus, little almost apricot, and then into a mild grassy floral component with a hint of earthy pine, and a little sticky resin too. The hops start to increase and get a little earthy spicy like, and a touch of herbal tea. Finish is fairly crisp and dry, mild gritty hop resin and more light pine light citrusy hops, with a touch more earthy herbal flavors.

Mouth is med to a bit lighter bod, nice carb.

Overall pretty nice, very drinkable IPA with a nice hop pop and decent malt base. With the really interesting aromas I was expecting a bit more on the flavor, but still very nice. (1,723 characters)

I purchased this in the 4way IPA mixed case, enjoyed chilled in a mug.

The color is medium amber with very good clarity with fast rising carbonation visible with thick 2 finger off white cream which clings as lace with a fine bead. The smell is okay but has a slightly odd herbal aroma and an almost plastic phenolic yeast accent, but more of a piney overall hop scent dominates. The feel is very good with light body and semi-high carbonation with mild sweetness and semi-spicy hop presence with a light toasted malt texture in the background leading to a mostly dry finish.

The flavor is decent with some mild pine and herbal hops and slight malt with some light sweetness and toasted taste and mild citrus tinge toward the middle with some light yeast fruitiness adding to the generally balanced taste. Overall this is better than average with a hoppy flavor that is good but the dry nature of the beer makes the hopping seem a little too agressive for such a small beer in my opinion. (994 characters)

Well this beer looks great. Unfortunately that is the highlight here. The nose smells like dead grass, or something as equally interesting. Flavor is just...bland. No punch. Nothing interesting. Kind of a out of whack mix of malts and not enough hops. This is definitely a miss. Haven't had a beer this bad/lame from SN ever, from what I can recall. (349 characters)

Packaged on 1/29/14 here goes a highly anticipated beer for myself...I'm a big fan of hoppy offerings from Sierra Nevada. I got a call from wvsabbath to pick up his reserved case of this new to Pittsburgh offering, I said without hesitation yeah I can split that case with you. Pours a light pale copper hue with a big billowing off white head, forms a rocky dimpled textured head that floats well above the rim of the glass. Lacing is chunky and sporadic what a great looking beer out of Chico, CA. Aroma light grassy, heavy vegetal hop notes green onion/garlic combo for me in this one with pungent whole leaf hop herbal/dank qualities. As it warms a bit more light tropical hops hit the nares in a good way. Flavor has enough biscuit malt/bready character to stand up to the big hop additions. At 4.8% abv I could definitely get used to this beer as a regular in my rotation. Hops hit with a wave of bitterness and settles into a mix of cereal malts and hop dank bitterness, the earthy herbal notes come out with a bit of mary jane dank hop flavor but finishes dry and pretty clean. The magnificent malts show up with flavor more so than in other recently released California session IPAs. Well balanced hop up session IPA I'm ready for some more and I'm pissed to only have one more, I had to water one of my favorite local bartenders...Heath from Mad Mex earned himself a 3 way IPA sampler in the form of Nooner, Snow Wit, and Blindfold IPAs. Texture is moderately carbonated light to medium bodied, flows nicely slick but not oily textured. The beer drinks way to easily, this is great warm weather drinking IPA. Overall, I can't wait to try more of this year's Sierra Nevada releases, with the fresh hop series adding two new beers different from Estate, Northern Hemisphere, and Southern Hemisphere IPAs. (1,812 characters)

Overall, it's standard fare for an IPA or pale ale. There's nothing unique or special here.

Sm: Sweet bready malts dominate the aroma. Pale malts. Rosemary. There's some hop character too: floral notes, vague fruit, some slightly dank and resinous notes. But the malts dominate, which is flat-out wrong for an IPA or pale. It comes off more like an English IPA, and it's a bit off-putting. The sweetness is weird. There are off-notes too: light buttery diacetyl and soapiness.

No yeast character or alcohol is detectable.

It's an underwhelming aroma of mild strength.

T: Sweet bready malts, pale malts, some caramalt. The hop notes feel like an afterthought: soapiness indicative that this spent too long in primary, floral character, some unevocative fruit. I'm not finding the citrusy or grapefruit notes mentioned on the label. I do find buttery diacetyl, which drags the flavour profile down.

No yeast or alcohol comes through.

Overall, this is a very generic underwhelming build for an IPA, and lacks balance. The malty sweetness edges out the hop bitterness, which makes this a fundamentally unsatisfying beer in its style. It has some loose cohesion, but really lacks focus; it's not a gestalt brew by any means and I'd heavily reconsider the ingredients selected. Pretty shallow in terms of depth of flavour. Below average flavour duration and intensity. Subpar amplitude.

This really needs more complexity, subtlety, intricacy, and nuance. It's just not bringing much to the table, and in this style you really need to stand out. I'm pretty disappointed. It's not even that pleasant to drink.

Mf: Too heavy and thick on the palate for the lack of evocative and/or diverse flavours. The weight of the mouthfeel also doesn't match the "session IPA" vibe they're going for. I'd even say this has too much heft for a pale ale, at least relative to how much (i.e. how little) flavour there is. Okay presence on the palate. Overcarbonated. Slightly oily. Smooth and wet. Unrefreshing; it's too sweet. Not as fresh, clean, or soft as would be ideal.

Ultimately, this texture just doesn't suit the style or the taste all that well. Subpar execution.

Not gushed, hot, astringent, boozy, rough, or biting.

Dr: A forgettable attempt at a fad style from Sierra Nevada, Nooner deserves to be left on the shelf. It feels like a beer that originated in the marketing department, not in the passion of a brewer. I wouldn't pick it up again and I hope they discontinue it after they've made their buck. That said, it does a decent job of hiding its ABV and I'm sure it will have its defenders (most of whom are probably well-intentioned megafans of the brewery, but I digress). Sure, it's drinkable, but it's hard to really enjoy. Hop fans would do well to avoid this; it brings less hop flavour to the table than even the pale ale from your local mediocre brewpub. Meh.

Small head that settles to a thin level of bubbles. Some lace spotty lace on the glass. The liquid is dark gold with the mildest of hazes.

Smells like a pale ale with ample amount of pale malt nose. Good floral hop for balance.

Thin bodied with a high level of carbonation. Light malt flavor with a peppery hop bite. Easy to drink but rather one-dimensional, basic beer. Flavorful from a bittering hop perspective but little else. (432 characters)

Taste: Fresh, fierce and powerful on the palate. This IPA loads the mouth with a pleasantly bitter, pungently citric hop attack, and the malt body is light and crisp, the alcohol level low for easy drinking. I could put back a half dozen in a night, if I had to. Persistently pleasing flavor, makes a session IPA done right.

What's the official word: "Nooner IPA is light in body but big in hop flavor. This session IPA delivers a huge dose of citrusy and grapefruit hop character from the use of whole-cone American hops." that's from the box. From the label: "There's no better way to start a lazy afternoon than with a group of friends and a few beers. Nooner IPA is a session beer that's light in body yet big in hop flavor…blah, blah, blah…same stuff…" (1,018 characters)

12 ounce bottle into signature pint glass, bottled on 1/22/2014. Pours slightly hazy pale gold color with a 2 finger dense and rocky white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, floral, grass, bread, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with bright citrus/grassy hops and light-moderate malt notes; with decent strength. Taste of big grapefruit, lemon zest, orange peel, floral, grass, light pine, biscuit, and floral/grassy earthiness. Fair amount of floral/pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, lemon zest, orange peel, biscuit, floral, grass, light pine, and grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice flavors of bright citrus/grassy hops with moderate malt sweetness; with a nice malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, crisp, and lightly bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish as expected of 4.8%. Overall this is a very good session IPA. Nice bright citrus/grassy hops with moderate malt balance; and very smooth and crisp to drink. A nicely enjoyable offering. (1,303 characters)

A good capped four to three finger tall and quite soapy shampoo like head, but still manages a big island cap of retention. Thickness is matched with pill and bacteria soap like shaped lacing on the edges. Body color is apricot orange amber with a very pale brass yellow to the bottom, and slightly cloudy.

Great nose. Hints of garden and floral aromatics, hints of spice and grapefruit to match with it a real nice subtle aromatic hop angle for a light IPA. Smells very inviting.

As per usual, light bodied mouthfeel, but not as wet as most session IPAs I've had, a little bit of ashen sweetness to go. Hop angle matches the nose, sort of coming out all varied in hints of citrus, tropics, herb and earth. The spice angle comes out mostly with almost a peppery notes strangely, with a fruit sweetness that while the bottle mentions grapefruit, doesn't seem that distinct or obvious.

Overall a solid Sierra brew and one expected from these guys. (1,000 characters)

Pours a light copper color with a white head and webbed lacing. Aroma is earthy and hoppy. In the taste, pine and rind. A bit thin in the body but there is a crisp hop bite and finishes dry. Light bodied, moderate carbonation, what you would expect as a session ipa. Overall, a nice lighter offering. (300 characters)

Bottle from the 12 pack purchased at Market BasketPours a deep straw color with a huge fluffy bone white head that persists forever and makes it difficult to pour. The aroma is odd here as it smells more like a pilsener than an ipa. Brady maltiness with hints of fruit and floral spice. The flavor is light watered down maltiness thats crackery and bready. Earthy spicy hop flavor is there to keep things in check. Light to medium body with a moderate to high level of carbonation and a light resinous watery mouthfeel. Seems everyone is jumping on the "session" ipa bandwagon these days, I just don't get the appeal. I don't need a watery thin unbalanced brew to drink in the summer, and frankly I don't think it will be the next big thing like so many brewers are hoping. (774 characters)

Poured from a bottle into a shaker pint, the beer is a slightly hazed, goldenrod coloring with a fluffy, bubbly, off-white head that settles in at a nice half inch. Loose lacing left behind as you drink. Aromas of citrus, tropical fruit, and a toasted backbone, with subtle resinous and spice highlights. Flavors are toasted forward, with a smooth tropical fruit backbone, resinous and slightly bitter highlights, pepper and char notes, and a tangy sweet tail-end that goes into the sweet, bitter, and slightly dry aftertaste. Light, smooth, slightly dry body, with a tangy linger on an otherwise bitter, smooth finish. Not a bad brew, and definitely carries a high level of drinkability. (688 characters)

The nooner session is decent but not as good as others....e.g. Founders All Day. The beer pours a nice golden color with thin white head. The mouthfeel is lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall this is a solid offering but not the best. (247 characters)

Poured into a Dogfish Head pint glass. Pours a medium coppery amber with a two finger white head with good retention and lots of lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt and grassy hops. Flavor is biscuit malt, lightly floral and piney, grassy hops, finishing with more citrus hop bitterness. Medium bodied. Nice balance and flavor progression, excellent hop intensity and malt support considering the session ABV. The session IPA seems to be a popular new style with brewers and this is probably the most well rounded I've tried so far. Generally I would prefer to have a full bodied IPA, but this is an attractive alternative to drink with meals when a higher ABV may not be wanted. Another well designed Sierra Nevada ale. (714 characters)